West Sussex · Grease trap cleaning
Grease trap cleaning in Hickstead, West Sussex
Need grease trap cleaning in Hickstead? We survey first, send you a fixed quote and work around your opening hours, finishing with a written report and pictures.
- A small trap that fills too quickly
- A routine grease trap service
- A bad smell from the sinks or drains
Grease trap cleaning in Hickstead: local notes
The FSA’s food hygiene register includes about 5 pubs and bars in and around Hickstead, up to about a mile and a half out. Pub and hotel kitchens get the same build-up behind equipment and in the grease trap as any other. In Hickstead, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Mid Sussex council. Grease behind equipment or on a ceiling is the kind of thing an inspection can note. A record of each deep clean helps show the kitchen is kept in order.
If you run a care home or healthcare kitchen near Hickstead (the nearest hospital is The Dene Hospital, about 1.3 miles east), a grease trap on a set schedule avoids a blocked drain mid-service. If you run a church or community hall kitchen, near The Parish Church of St Peter or elsewhere in Hickstead, a deep clean and an emptied grease trap before a busy season of events are worth booking.
Hickstead is about 3 miles west of Burgess Hill, in West Sussex. Whatever kind of site you run in Hickstead, we can take on grease trap cleaning. We can work out of hours so trading is not interrupted. We cover 371 places across West Sussex, from busy centres to quieter spots. Brighton is in our area too, about 10 miles from Hickstead.
We work across the RH17 and BN6 postcode area for grease trap cleaning and the streets around it. Other places close to Hickstead include Goddards Green (1 mile east), Sayers Common (1 mile south), Abbotsford (2 miles east), Ansty (2 miles north-east) and Hurstpierpoint (2 miles south). Further out, we also cover Crawley (10 miles north), Horsham (9 miles north-west), Worthing (13 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (5 miles north-east), Burgess Hill (3 miles east) and East Grinstead (14 miles north-east).
What’s near Hickstead
We work in commercial kitchens and buildings around St Paul's Catholic College, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Burgess Hill station, about 3.1 miles east. A little further out are The Dene Hospital (1.3 miles east) and Clayton Castle (4.6 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Wolstonbury Hill and Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve.
Grease trap cleaning in Hickstead
Smells from the sink, gurgling drains or slow drainage all point to the grease trap. We find the trap, empty it and clean it, then check the water flows properly. If you are dealing with foul odours from the grease trap and a larger grease trap that needs emptying, we can help.
For a kitchen in or near Hickstead, the visit is planned ahead, around opening times and the journey.
Accreditations are easy to claim and worth checking. Ours are BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite membership, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, plus CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, with full insurance on top.
- Where
- Hickstead (RH17, BN6)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Reporting
- Written report with photos
- Quote
- Fixed quote, typically within a working day
- When we work
- Evenings, overnight and weekends; 24/7 emergencies
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
Why deal with it now?
A full grease trap lets grease through to the drains. There it sets and narrows the pipe, until the drain blocks. Regular trap cleaning beats dealing with a blockage. Systems in rural buildings are often out of sight and out of mind.
One small site or a whole estate, the quote is built the same way: what needs doing, how we get to it and when. The price is fixed before work begins.
Why choose Duct Doctor in Hickstead
- Fully insured
- A single point of contact for sites across the South East and London
- In business since 2009
- Every visit written up, with pictures
Read how cleaning jobs are priced or our accreditations and certificates.
Looking after it afterwards
Simple habits between visits make a real difference. We recommend:
- Make sure the trap can be reached easily
- Fit sink strainers to catch food scraps
- Act on gurgling or smelly drains
- Do not wait for a blockage to book a clean
Scrape plates into the bin before washing up. Sink strainers help catch solids before they reach the trap.
If the sinks are slow or smelly, the trap may be full. Getting it cleaned now can stop a full blockage later.
Also in Hickstead
The process
When we arrive, we check the system against the survey or the photos you sent. If anything is different, we talk it through with the person on site before carrying on. From there, it takes less than an hour for many under-sink units. If you can send photos, we can arrive in Hickstead knowing what to expect.
- We start by finding the trap and checking its inlet and outlet.
- We ask for the sinks that drain into the trap not to be used.
- We take out the layer of fat, oil and grease and any solids.
- Every part of the trap is scraped and cleaned, including the baffles.
- Once it’s refitted, water is run through to check it drains, and we take the waste with us.
Before we arrive
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
- Make sure equipment near the work can be switched off and left to cool
How to get a quote
Quotes are quick. Call or email with a few details and you will normally have a fixed price within one working day. Where a survey is needed, we arrange a time that suits the site.
Advice
Signs you need grease trap cleaning in Hickstead
A full trap cannot hold any more grease. It goes on into the drain and the sewer beyond, where it can cause blockages.
Common reasons sites call us are:
- Scheduled grease trap emptying
- Drains clogged with fat
- A larger grease trap that needs emptying
- A small trap that fills too quickly
Half-term is a good time for school kitchens, at schools like Twineham CofE Primary School for instance, to have the grease trap emptied and the kitchen deep cleaned.
Comparing quotes
- Whether the whole system is included, or only the parts that are easy to reach
- Whether the quote shows VAT
- How they set the interval to the next visit
- Which accreditations they hold, and whether you can check them
Common questions in Hickstead
Do you cover smaller places like Hickstead?
Yes. Villages and rural sites across the South East are part of our work, Hickstead included. Photos of the system and directions to the site help us plan the visit.
Who carries out food hygiene inspections in Hickstead?
In Hickstead, it’s Mid Sussex council that carries out food hygiene inspections. An officer may look behind equipment and at drains, so it pays to have the deep clean booked before those areas build up.
Do you survey before quoting?
Yes, always. Diagnosis comes before treatment: the survey shows what needs doing and what access we need and the fixed quote is built on it.
What accreditations do you have?
CHAS, SafeContractor, ISO 9001 and BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite membership, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. We’ve been trading since 2009 and we are fully insured.
What does TR19 mean?
A BESA specification, with two parts that matter most here: TR19® Grease for kitchen extracts and TR19® Air for supply and extract systems. It isn’t legislation, but it’s the standard people check against.
How regularly does a grease trap need emptying?
The right interval depends on your trap and your cooking. If the sinks start to drain slowly between cleans, it’s too long, and we can shorten it.
How much notice do you need?
For planned work, earlier is better, particularly if your next visit is nearly due. For emergencies, we take calls 24/7.
How long does a grease trap clean take?
As a guide, it takes an hour or so for an under-sink trap, longer for a larger unit. A large or very full trap takes longer, and we will tell you in advance.
When something else is needed
Not every problem is solved by grease trap cleaning, and we’ll tell you before any work starts. It doesn’t solve:
- Plumbing leaks around the sink
- A unit that cannot cope with the kitchen’s output
- Grease set hard in the drain run
Not sure which it is? You can call us on 0345 646 2711, or email photos and we will tell you honestly before you book.
Where we work
- Pot wash sinks
- School and care home kitchens
- Inline grease traps
- Restaurants and takeaways
- Under-sink grease traps
- Kitchen waste pipes
Fixed quotes for grease trap cleaning in Hickstead
We do not publish a price list, because no two systems are the same. The quote depends on:
- A single visit or a regular plan
- Whether several sites go on one quote
- What state the system is in
- Where the site is and how we reach it
We do not list prices on the website, because each job is priced on what it involves. Call for a fixed quote, and we will talk you through it.
What we need to know
Before you ask for a quote, gather:
- The roof, plant room or outside wall the system runs to
- Any symptoms, from odd noises to smells or leaks
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
- Your opening hours and when the area is out of use
Want a quote for grease trap cleaning? Please call us on 0345 646 2711 or email us and tell us about the site. We will talk you through the work and send you a fixed quote before you commit to anything.
What the work involves, part by part
Restaurant and takeaway kitchens
Visits are booked when the sinks aren’t in use so you do not lose trade.
Under-sink grease traps
Under-sink units are easy to forget. When they fill, the sink slows and starts to smell.